Page 74 of Sundowners
And if I was meant to leave it behind, so be it.
But I needed to be at my full strength, whatever happened, and I owed closure to the people who meant so much to me. I left the house in the woods and planned to drive straight to the police…but the Mercedes pulled in behind me, way too close to be a coincidence.
Before I knew it, I was sliding down the embankment, the bike toast and my body beat to hell.
Lexi gaspedwhen I entered the front doors of Puesta Del Sol.
“Creed! Oh my God, what happened to you? Where—”
“I can’t stay, Lexi. I’m only here to resign and say goodbye.”
“But you can’t leave,” she said, her big brown eyes filling with tears.
“I can’t stay. There are people looking for me, and I don’t want to chance them coming after me here.”
“But Creed—”
I pulled her in for a hug and held her as she cried, fighting my own tears.
“I know. I hate it too. I need to see Mr. Fletcher, and then I’m going to swing by Yvonne’s and give her my resignation.”
“No—”
“I know, I’m sorry, darlin’. And thank you for taking Rhonda, is she okay?” I hated to even ask. I’d felt like I was missing a limb without her.
“She’s okay, she’s—”
“Creed! I’ve been trying to call you.” Yvonne came out of the office and hurried to my side, which caught the attention of some of the residents who were in the library, and my hopes of getting in and out quickly were dashed. I took her by the arm and held up a finger to Lexi.
“I’ll see you before I go.”
I hated watching her cry as I practically pushed Yvonne back into her office.
“Creed, what’s happened to you?”
“Yvonne, I really wish I could explain it, and I wish I didn’t have to leave.”
She blanched and started to shake her head. “You can’t. How could I ever replace you?”
I handed her my ID and my keys and a letter directing her to donate my last paycheck to the Alzheimer’s Society. I had to get out of there, but she started to tear up.
“Creed, you know you will always have a job here, so please keep us in mind.”
“Thank you, Yvonne. This has been my home, my very favorite place ever. If it’s humanly possible, I will come back.”
I left her office feeling the weight of her sadness and the piercing pain from Lexi. I couldn’t dwell here long, however, or I’d be overwhelmed with well-wishers and my resolve would weaken.
I went for Mr. Fletcher’s room and found him in bed reading a book. His whole face lit up when he saw me, and he sat up.
“Creed, son, where’ve you been? What happened to you?”
I knelt next to his bed. “Mr. Fletcher, I’m so sorry, but I’m in a bit of trouble and I have to leave town. I didn’t want you to worry—”
“Of course I’m worried! What’s happened?”
Mr. Fletcher was the only one I could tell the truth because he knew my secret.
“There are people like me. Bad people who destroyed my cohort fifty years ago and killed my best friend. They’re here, in town, and I need to deal with them and then get as far away from here as I can so they don’t retaliate against the people I care about.”
